Toy



Dec. 25, 1928. 1,696,532

T. B. ENLOE TOY Figgd Oct. 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l9 22 I 2 a WQQAMM TBEnZoe WITNESS: ATTORNEY INVENTOR Dec. 25, 1928.

T. B. ENLOE TOY Filed Oct. 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 25, 1928.

This

THOMAS B. ENLOE, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

TOY.

Application filed October 12, 1927. Serial No. 225,719.

The present invention relates to toys and has for its object to provide a toy which will afford amusement to old and young.

Another object is to provide a toy of novel and efiective mechanism operable by gravity and in connection with a clock spring inechanism for its operation.

Other objects are cheapness of manufacture and simplicity of construction.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the toy.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figures 4 and 5 are similar views showing one of the buckets otthe device and two different positions of the tripping lever the first in locking position and the second in releasing position. 3

Figure 6 shows the clock mechanism.

Figure 7 is a detail showing the relation of one of the troughs to another, the view being broken away in part for illustrative purposes.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the toy and shows the same in operation.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 10 is a base upon which are securedcross bars 11 and 12, of which there are two extending longitudinally of the base and two extending transversely as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. At one end of the base is secured a vertically extending bracket 13 upon which mounted the clock mechanism at 14 for operating a flat bar 15 secured at its central point and connected by a train of gears 16 with a spring at 17, whereby the bar 15 may be rotated under certain conditions. The bar has provided at its opposite ends buckets 18 and 19 adapted to receive a ball or marble therein. hen a marble is dropped upon the plate or tongue 20 of the lever 21 pivoted in one side of the bucket, the said tongue 20 will be depressed raising the other arm 22 of the lever and effecting an escapement thereof over the upper end of a post 23, whereupon the arm 15 may be rotated by its shaft 24: and the bucket which was initially in the lower posi tion is carried to its upper position, where the ball or marble will be dropped into the trough 25, said trough 25 being slightly inclined as shown in Figure 3. The trough 25 is provided at both ends and along the sides with vertical. walls 26 and 27, one of the side walls being cut away as at 28 to allow the ball to drop into the trough 29 which is pivotally mounted at 30 to a support 31 extending upwardly from the base. The trough 29 is similar in construction to the trough 25 and is adapted under favorable circumstances to deliver the ball to a trough 32 which is open at both ends. The trough 29 is given a slope toward its dis charge end and the discharge end is prevented trom rising above the level of the opposite end of said trough, so that the trough will always have an inclination toward its discharge end by a stop 33 in the nature of a hook extending from bracket 34: upon which the trough 32 is rigidly mounted.

Spaced from the discharge end of the trough 32 and as shown in Figure 1 at right angles to the trough 32 is a trough 34 having a pan 35 spaced thcreabove the pan being provided with a central discharge aperture 36 for delivering the balls into the trough 34s, the pan being supported by a bracket 37 which may be in the similitude of a monkey or other fanciful object. The trough 34 is pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends as at 38 to supporting struts 39 secured to the base 10.

Pivoted on a bracket 40 depending from the trough'32 is a rocking member 41 having a counterbalanced member 42 at its lower end and a basket-like member 43 at its upper end, the counterbalance member 12 being so positioned as to hold the unencumbered basket in an upright position, as shown in full lines in Figure 2.v When, however, a ball is discharged into the basketthe weight 42 is overbalanced thereby and the rocking member assumes the position shown in dotted lines, carrying the ball across the gap between the troughs 32 and 34 and discharging it into the pan 35. The

rocking member 41 may be also made in the similitude of a monkey and the basket may simulate the upraised hands of such a beast in a position to catch a ball, The counterweight 42 may simulate the monkeys tail and may be curved or otherwise bent to simulate the same.

The trough 34 is maintained in an inclined position in the same manner as trough 29 by means of a hook 44 mounted on a short length of trough 4L5 suitably supported on the base of the toy. The trough do is stationary and the hook thereon in addition to preventing the tilting of the discharge end of the trough 3st above a certain predetermined level, also provides a support for the said discharge end of the trough. The same thing may be said of the bracket Set with the hooked stop end 33 thereon. The stationary trough {t5 discharges into a trough 46 having both ends open and designed to carry the ball to a point above the lower limit of travel of the buckets 18 and 19 and to discharge a ball into one of said buckets when in place with the lever arm 22 abutting against the member In this manner the entire cycle of the ball is completed. A ball will not be delivered from the discharge end of the troughs 29 or 8% until the next succeeding ball has been discharged into the upper ends of said troughs for counterbalancing the ball in the discharge ends. Tl ree or more balls can be used for operating tne toy.

It is believed that the operation of the device and the construction thereof go so timately together that the operation will be apparent from the above description.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. .tL toy comprising, a rotatable arm, means for rotating said arm, buckets on the ends of said arm having trip levers pivoted therein, an obstruction in the path of revolution of said levers, tongues within the buckets forming a part of said levers and being adapted to receive balls for tripping the levers to dispose them out of engagement with said obstruction, a series of troughs forming a gravitational course for the balls,- the upper end of said course being in position to receive the balls discharged. by said buckets at the upper limit of their revolution and the lower end of said course being arranged to dispose the balls in said buckets.

2. A toy comprising a plurality of balls, a rotatable arm, means for rotating said arm, buckets on the ends of said arm having trip levers pivoted therein, obstructions in the path of revolution of said levers, tongues within the buckets forming a part or said levers and being adapted to receive balls for tripping the levers for releasing the levers from the obstruction, a series of troughs forming a gravitational course for balls, the upper end of said course being in position to receive the balls discharged by said buckets at the upper limit ot their revolution, and said course being constructed to deliver balls in the buckets the lower limit of the revolution of said buckets.

3. A toy comprising a rotatable arm, means for rotating said arm, buckets on the ends of said arm having trip levers pivoted therein, an obstruction in the path of revolution of said levers, tongues within the buckets and forming a part of said levers, said tongues being adapted to receive balls for tripping the levers to release the arm, a series of troughs forming a gravitational course for the balls, the upper end of said course being in position to receive the balls discharged by said buckets at the upper limit of their revolution, certain of said troughs being pivotally mounted and depressible by a ball therein at their discharge ends below the upper limit of the next succeeding troughs and raised to discharge position by the discharge of a second ball into the upper ends of said troughs.

l. A toy comprising a rotatable arm, means for rotating said arm, buckets on the ends or said arm having trip levers pivoted therein, an obstruction in the path of revolution of said levers, tongues within the buckets forming a part of said levers and being adapted to receive balls for releasing the levers from the obstruction, a series of troughs forming a gravitational course for the balls, the upper end of said course being in position to receive the balls discharged by said buckets at the upper limit of their revolution, said course being constructed to deliver a ball in the bucket at the lower limit of its revolution, certain of said troughs being pivotally mounted and depressible by a ball therein at their discharge ends below the upper limit of the next succeeding troughs and raised to discharge position by the discharge of a second ball into the upper ends of said troughs, said course having a gap therein and means for carrying the balls across said gap.

5. A toy comprising inclined upper and lower courses spaced apartand adapted to receive balls to roll on said courses, a coun terba-lanced rocking member having means thereon to receive a ball discharged from the upper course and to deliver it to the lower course, and a rotatable arm having buckets at its ends adapted to receive the balls from the lower course and deliver them to the upper course.

6. A toy comprising inclined upper and lower courses spaced apart and adapted to receive balls to roll on said courses, a counterbalanced rocking member having means thereon to receive a ball discharged from the upper course and deliver it to the lower course, a bracket, an apertured pan secured to said bracket and adapted to receive the balls for the lower course, a rotatable arm having buckets at its ends adapted to receive the balls from the lower course and deliver them to the upper course, escapement means controlled by the deposit of said balls in said buckets for intermittently permitting rotation of said arm, and means for rotating said arm.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

THOMAS E. ENLOE.

lit) 

